Clarisa Bencomo works in the foundation’s Cairo office, where her grant making encourages innovative state-society partnerships for dignified urban living through improved planning and budgeting, research and capacity-building to advance accountability for service provision, and documentation of urban policies that are inclusive of refugees.
Clarisa has had a distinguished career in research and advocacy for human rights and good governance issues. Before joining the foundation in 2010, she served as a consultant on foreign aid and social justice sector reforms, and she authored reports assessing the effectiveness of international aid to the Palestinian territories in complying with international human rights and humanitarian law standards, as well as Moldova’s response to 2009 post-election violence.
As a researcher for Human Rights Watch for over a decade, she advanced understanding of and action on protections for children migrating to Europe through North Africa, children living with HIV, working children, and children in the juvenile justice system. Clarisa was a lecturer in political science at the American University in Cairo, and she has extensive experience working with poor and marginalized communities, civil society, research institutions, and government to develop effective policies and practices for addressing the drivers of poverty and inequality.
Clarisa holds a master's degree from Princeton University and a bachelor's degree from Harvard University, both in political science, and is a graduate of the American University in Cairo's Center for Arabic Studies Abroad.
